Protective sheath for an electric connector



Nov. 26, 1963 c. J. WOCHNER PROTECTIVE SHEATH FOR AN ELECTRIC CONNECTOR Filed Jan. 12, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR CHARLES U- WOCHNER FIG.

ATTORNEYS Nov. 26, 1963 c. J. WOCHNER 3,112,148

PROTECTIVE SHEATH FOR AN ELECTRIC CONNECTOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 12, 1962 63 36 as 37 I 4s 55 d I 4B INVENTOR 52 66 4 CHARLES a. wocHNsR I BY FIG, 6 Cyan.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,112,148 PROTECTIVE SHEATH FOR AN ELECTRIC CONNECTOR Charles J. Wochner, Florissant, Mo., assignor to Jasper Blackburn Corporation, St. Louis, Mo, a corporation of Missouri Filed Jan. 12, 1962, Ser. No. 165,815 5 Claims. (Cl. 339-116) This invention relates generally to improvements in a protective sheath for an electrical connector and to an improved means for mounting and positioning the connector in such sheath.

An important objective of the present invention is to provide a sheath for a cable connector which lends itself to ready attachment of two or more cables, and protects the connector from the weather and inadvertent contact with adjacent objects.

Another important objective is achieved by the provision of a protective sheath that consists of a pair of mating sections each of which has opposed end walls, each end wall being provided with a pair of laterally spaced notches adapted to receive a main wire and a tap wire. One of the end walls of each section has a socket while the other end of each section has a hook extending toward the other section and interfitting the socket of such other section selectively so as to lock the sections together.

Still another important objective is realized by disposing the socket and hook formations between the notches on the opposite end walls of the sections so that a balanced clamping pressure will be exerted between the mating sections.

Other important advantages will be afforded by providing each end wall with a pair of outwardly projecting sleeves that define the laterally spaced notches by providing one of the end walls of each section with a socket formation extending outwardly of the end wall between the sleeves of such end wall, the socket formation being open at the top and the bottom, and by providing the other end wall of each section with a hook projecting from between the sleeves of such end wall toward the other sections and interfltting selectively in the socket formation oi the other section incident to attaching the sections.

Another important objective is provided by the specific structure and arrangement of the coactin-g socket formations and books which assure a quick and easy, yet positive connection, between the mating sections.

Yet another important object is achieved by the provision of means interconnecting the connector and sheath which assures that the connector will be assembled in only one relative position with the sheath, thereby making sure that the main and tap grooves of the connector are aligned with the appropriate and corresponding end wall notches formed in the sheath.

Another important objective is realized by the positive alignment feature of the connector and sheath in that the adjusting bolts are automatically aligned with compatible holes formed in the back walls of the sections. Access is had to the bolts through the holes in order to adjust the clamping pressure of the connector on the main and/or tap wires. This feature is required because of the fact that the bolts at one side and the connector are laterally offset from the bolts at the other side. In other words, bolts at one side are not in the same plane as the bolts at the other side, but rather the bolts are located on opposite sides of a vertical longitudinal plane passed through the connector.

Another important object is obtained by the particular structural arrangement of a keyway in one end wall "ice communicating with its associated socket formation, and by the provision of an integral key on the connector adapted to be received in such keyway for accurately positioning the connector and sheath and without interierring with the hook and socket locking mechanism.

it is an import-ant objective to provide an electrical connection that is simple and durable in construction, economical to manufacture and assemble, etlicient in operation and which can be readily installed by anyone with only a minimum of instruction.

The *foregoin g and numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will more clearly appear in the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment, particularly when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an electrical connector and a protective sheath;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of the protective sheath;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional View of the sheath as seen along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4- is a cross-sectional view of the sheath as seen along line P4- of FIG. 3, but illustrating the connector installed therein;

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the sheath section illustrated at the top of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the sheath section illustrated at the bottom of FIG. 1.

Referring now by characters of reference to the drawrings, and first to FIG. 1, there is illustrated an electrical connector generally indicated at it utilized in the assembly. The connector lit includes an intermediate body 11 having side flanges 12 and 13. For reasons which will appear later, the one side flange 13 is provided with a slot 14 in its upper edge and a slot 15 in its lower edge, both slots being substantially at the middle of body 11.

A pair of top clamps 16 and 17 are seated in side by side relation on top of the body 11 between the side flanges 12 and 13. The bottoms of clamps to and 17 are undercut at each end in order to cooperate with the body 11 to provide a main wire groove 20 and a tap wire groove 21.

A pair of bolts 22 and 23 extend through the clamps to and 17, respectively, and threadedly engage the body 11, the bolts being utilized to clamp a main wire and a tap wire between the body 11 and the clamps 16 and 17 in the grooves 2e and 21. The heads provided on the bolts 22 and 23 have hexagonal recesses 24 which permit the insertion of a tool to adjust the clamping pressure exerted by the bolts.

Another pair of somewhat similar clamps 25 and 26 are located in adjacent side by side relation on the underside of connector body 11 between the side flanges 12 and 13. However, these clamps 25 and 26 are undercut only at one end to cooperate with body 11 to provide a second tap groove 27 located immediately below the previously described tap groove 21.

Again, a pair of bolts 30 and 31 extend respectively through the clamps 25 and .26 and threadedly engage the body 11. 7 These bolts 30 and 31 are utilized to adjust the clamping pressure exerted on the wire held in the tap groove 27. Although no-tshown, the heads of bolts 5%) and 31 are provided with similar hexagonal recesses similar to those recesses 24 provided in bolts 22 and 23 and for the same purpose,

The bolts 22 and 23 provided at one side of the connector are disposed in a plane offset laterally from the plane occupied by the bolts 30 and 31 at the opposite side of the connector. In other words, the bolts 22 and 23 are located at one side of a vertical longitudinal plane passed through the connector from the other pair of bolts and 31.

For reasons which will best appear upon subsequent description of parts, one end of connector body 11 is provided with an integral outwardly projecting key 32.

The protective sheath is of a generally box-like construction consisting of a pair of mating sections generally referred to at 3'3 and 34. The cup-like top section 33 includes a back wall 35 having a pair of spaced holes 36 that are alignable with the hexagonal bolt recesses 24 when inserted over the connector 10.

One end wall 37 of top section 33 is provided with outwardly projecting sleeve portions 4i) and 41 that are laterally spaced and separated by an intervening shoulder 42. The sleeve portions 40 and 41 define notches 43 and 44 of different size, as will be apparent later in view of the fact that these notches accommodate a main Wire and a tap wire respectively.

Integral-1y depending from shoulder 42 is a hook 45 constituting a latch member, the hook 45 being bifurcated to provide laterally resilient parts. The hook 45 has an enlarged head portion 46 with a slightly tapered outside surface. The head portion 46 forms a latching shoulder 47 at each side of the book 45. When section 33 is arranged in operative relation to the section 34, the hook 45 extends toward the section '34.

The construction of the opposite end of top section 33 is perhaps best shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. For example, the opposite end wall 50 is provided with a pair of laterally spaced sleeve portions '51 land 52 conforming in configurations substantially to the corresponding sleeve portions 40 and 41, respectively. These sleeve portions 5 1 and '52 define notches 53 and 54 of different sizes.

The sleeve portions 51 and 52 are separated by an outwardly projecting socket formation 55 that is open at the top and bottom. The socket formation 55 is adapted to seat the shoulder 42 of a cooperating hook and to receive and latch such hook.

To seat the connector 10 in top section 33 is provided with a plunality of internal ribs. One side wall 56 is provided with a pair of longitudinally spaced vertical ribs 57 adapted to abut one side of clamps 16 and 17 and abut the top margin of side flange 12, as is best seen in FIG. 4. The opposite side wall 60 is provided with a pair of longitudinally spaced vertical ribs 61 adapted to engage the top surface of the side flange 13, and is provided with an intermediate vertical rib 62 adapted to interfit within the flange slot 14.

The bottom section 34 is very similar in construction to the top section '33, and therefore, the corresponding parts are given the same reference characters. For eX- ample, the bottom section 34 includes a back wall 35 having a pair of longitudinally spaced holes 36'. One end wall 37 is provided with a pair of outwardly projecting sleeve portions 40 and 41 which define notches 43 and 44 respectively of different sizes. The sleeve portions 40 and 41 are separated by an intervening shoulder 42 having a hook 45 that extends toward the other section 33. The hook 455 is bifurcated to provide laterally resilent members. The hook 45 includes an enlarged head 46 forming side latch shoulders 47.

The opposite end wall 54 of bottom section '34 includes a pair of laterally spaced sleeve portions 5 1 and 52 that define notches 53 and 54 respectively of different sizes. The notches 53 and 54 correspond in size respectively to the longitudinally aligned notches 43 and 44 respectively in the other end wall 3 7. 7

It will be noted that the sleeve portions 51 and 52 of bottom section 34 are interconnected and bridged by an outwardly projecting socket formation 55 which is adapted to seat the shoulder 42 formed on the top section 33 and to receive and latch the hook 45 on such top section 33 when the sections are fitted together.

Importantly, the end wall 50 of bottom section 34 is provided with a keyway 63 that communicates directly the top section 3 3, such action of the hok to engage the 4 with the socket formation 55. to receive the key 32 formed on the connector 10 when the connector is seated in the bottom section 34. This interconnection of the key 32 in the keyway 63 assures relative placement of the connector in the protective sheath in only one position in order to assure alignment of the main groove 21} with the proper section notches 43 and 53, alignment of the tap grooves 21 and 27 with the proper sheath notches 44 and 54, and assures alignment of the sheath holes 36 with the proper bolt recesses 2-4 to permit adjusting of clamping pressure.

The bottom section 34 also includes a plurality of internal ribs to seat the connector 10. One side wall 64 of section 34 is provided with a pair of longitudinally spaced vertical ribs 65 adapted to engage the side and bottom margins of the side flange 12. The opposite side wall 66 of section 34 is provided with a centrally located vertical rib 67 adapted to interfit in the slot 15 formed in the side flange 13.

[It is thought that the assembly and functional advantages of the electrical connection have become fully apparent from the foregoing detailed description of parts, but for completeness of disclosure the assembly will be briefly described.

First, the bolts 22-23 and 30 31 are loosened to permit the insertion of a tap wire into the tap groove 21 and/or a tap wire into the tap groove 27. A main wire is inserted into the main wire groove 20. Upon placement of the main and tap wires, the bolts 2223 and 35-31 are tightened so that such wires are clamped securely between body 11 and the respective clamps 16'1-7 and 2526.

Then, the connector 10 is placed into the lower section 34 and positioned so that the key 32 is received in the keyway 63. The connector body 11 seats on the supporting ribs 65 and 67. With this structure, it will be realized that the connector 10 can only be placed in lower sect-ion 31 in one position so that the ends of such connector cannot be inadvertently reversed or the connector cannot be inadvertently inverted.

When connector 1% is appropriately seated within the lower section 34, the upper section 33 is fitted over the connector 1-0 and moved toward section 34. As the mating sections 33 and 34 are moved together, the hook of each section moves into the coacting socket formation 55 of the other section, as is permitted by the resilient character of the bifurcated hook head 46. Upon complete closure, the edges of the cup-like sections 33 and 34 abut, the shoulder 42 of each section seats on the coacting socket formation 55 of the other section, and the latching shoulders 47 of the hook 45 on each section snap outwardly automatically under the resilient opposite side of the coacting socket formation 55 of the other section, thereby securely latching the sections together.

It will be noted that sleeve portions 4 1 and 52 of each section are aligned and cooperate to embrace the tap wire or wires while the sleeve portions 40 and 51 are aligned to embrace the main wire.

Furthermore, it will be noted that the holes 36 in the back wall 35 of the top section 33 are aligned directly with the bolt recesses 24 formed in bolts 22 and 23, while the holes 36 in the back wall of the lower section 35 are aligned directly with corresponding bolt recesses 24 formed in the other pair of bolts 30 and 31. A suitable tool can be inserted through the holes 36 and into engagement with any one or more of the bolts to adjust the clamping pressure on the main or tap wires.

Of course, the protective sheath can be completely re moved if desired merely by pressing the resilient bifurcated hook heads 46 together to disengage the latch shoulders The keyway 63 is adapted 47 and thereby permit removal of the hooks 45 from the cooperating socket formations 55.

Although the invention has been described by making detailed reference to a single preferred embodiment, such I claim as my invention: 1. A protective sheath for an electrical connector comprising:

(a) a pair of mating sections each of which has opposed end walls, each end wall being provided with a pair of laterally spaced notches adapted to receive wires,

(1)) one of said end walls or each section having a socket located outwardly of said end Wall and located between said notches, and

-(c) the other end Wall of each section having a hook located outwardly of said end wall and disposed between said notches, said hook projecting toward the other sect-ion and interfitting selectively in the socket of said other section so as to lock said sections together and exert a balanced clamping pressure between said sections in the region of said notches.

2. in an electrical connection:

(a) an electrical connector providing a laterally spaced main wire groove and at least one tap wire groove,

(12) a protective sheath including a pair of mating sections, each of 'which has opposed end Walls, each end wall being provided with a pair of laterally spaced notches aligned respectively with said main and tap wire grooves,

(c) one of said end walls of each section having a socket, and

(d) the other end wall of each section having a hook projecting toward the other section and interfitting selectively in the socket of the other section so as to lock said sections together, and

(2) means interconnecting the connector and sheath in only one relative position of said connector and sheath, whereby to assure appropriate placement of the connector in said sheath in order to align the appropriate connector grooves with the sheath notches.

3. In an electrical connection:

(a) an electrical connector providing a main wire groove and a pair of tap Wire grooves one adjacent the other,

'(b) a protective sheath comprising a pair of mating sections each of which has opposed end Walls,

(0) each end Wall having a pair of outwardly projecting sleeves defining laterally spaced notches of different sizes adapted to receive the main and tap wires respectively,

(d) one of said end Walls of eaohsection having a socket formation extending outwardly of the end wall from between said sleeves, said socket formation being open at the top and bottom,

(e) the other end Wall of each section having a hoolc extending outwardly from the'end wall from between said sleeves and extending toward the other section to interfit selectively in the socket formation of the other section so as to lock the sections together,

(f) one of said end walls of one of said sections being provided with a key-way communicating with its associated socket formation, and

(g) one end of the connector including a key selectively interfitting the keyway only in one relative position of the connector in the sheath to assure that the main and tap wire grooves of the connector align with the corresponding notches in said end walls of the sheath.

4-. In an electrical connection:

(a) an electrical connector providing a main wire groove and at least one laterally spaced tap wire groove,

(b) fastening bolts at opposite sides of the connector for clamping the said main and tap Wires in said V grooves, the bolts at one side of said connector being laterally offset from the bolts at the other side,

(0) a protective sheath comprising a pair of mating sections each of which has opposed end walls, each end Wall having a pair of outwardly projecting sleeves defining laterally spaced notches adapted to receive said wires,

(d) each section having back walls provided With holes through which access is had to said bolts at one of said sides of the connector,

(e) one of said end walls of each section having a socket formation extending outwardly from said end wall from between said sleeves, said socket formation being open at the top and bottom,

(f) the other end Wall of each section having a hook outwardly of said end wall and between said sleeves, said hook extending toward the other section and interfitting selectively in the socket formation of the other section so as to lock sections together,

(g) one of the end walls of one of the sections being provided with a keyway communicating with the associated socket formation, and

(h) the connector including a key at one end intertitting the lreyway selectively in only one relative position oi the connector and sheath whereby to assure alignment of the sheath holes with the connector bolts.

5. The combination and arrangement of elements as recited above in claim 4 but further characterized in that the said sleeves at each end of the mating sections define notches of different sizes adapted to receive the main wire and said tap wire, said key and key-way interfitting selectively in said one relative position of the sheath and connec'tor so as to assure alignment of grooves of the connector with the corresponding notches in the sheath.

the main and tap References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES 7 Publication; Dessert Mfg. Corp. advertisement, Electrical World, August 28, 1961, p. 69'. 

1. A PROTECTIVE SHEATH FOR AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR COM-0 PRISING: (A) A PAIR OF MATING SECTIONS EACH OF WHICH HAS OPPOSED END WALLS, EACH END WALL BEING PROVIDED WITH A PAIR OF LATERALLY SPACED NOTCHES ADAPTED TO RECEIVE WIRES, (B) ONE OF SAID END WALLS OF EACH SECTION HAVING A SOCKET LOCATED OUTWARDLY OF SAID END WALL AND LOCATED BETWEEN SAID NOTCHES, AND (C) THE OTHER END WALL OF EACH SECTION HAVING A HOOK LOCATED OUTWARDLY OF SAID END WALL AND DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID NOTCHES, SAID HOOK PROJECTING TOWARD THE OTHER SECTION AND INTERFITTING SELECTIVELY IN THE SOCKET OF SAID OTHER SECTION SO AS TO LOCK SAID SECTIONS TOGETHER AND EXERT A BALANCED CLAMPING PRESSURE BETWEEN SAID SECTIONS IN THE REGION OF SAID NOTCHES. 